Author: Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

Dewberry

A native plant that is quite insistent. It keeps showing up in my gardens. With stems that are more like vines than stems, creeping along the ground. Stems that have little stickers. Stems that form roots when they touch the soil. Making its presence known. Dewberry (Rubus invisus) is native to the eastern and east-central United States. The flowers produce black or deep purple berries very much like the very closely related Blackberry bushes that grow wild and are also native. If I would just give it a chance it would give me berries. Lovely berries much like those on the Blackberry bushes.

I’m ready for an experiment. Let those vines grow under certain conditions. Just see what happens. See how the berries are. I’ve got my fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus). A bird that I seldom see. In part perhaps because they will sit in dense shrubbery sitting perfectly still, like a frog that is trying to convince you that, “You can’t see me.” They do this as they are watching and waiting for a meal to come by. Few birds will eat hairy caterpillars but this doesn’t stop the Yellow-billed Cuckoos who will consume thousands of caterpillars per season. They also eat cicadas, tent caterpillars, webworms, katydids, crickets, and even frogs and lizards. They may hop to the ground to catch the frog or lizard that they spot, or fly from their perch to catch a flying insect, midair.

Flying to South America in the winter, returning late April to early May. I look forward to at least hearing the Yellow-billed Cuckoo this summer. Both males and females make a soft cooing sound which reminds me of a Mourning Dove. Another sound, to me a more distinctive sound, a hollow sounding, rapid, harsh, rattling ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowp, kowp, kowp, kowp, slowing down at the end. A sound that I can’t say sounds like any other bird. It would be such a delight to see one of these Blue Jay sized birds, but knowing their shy nature I’ll be quite happy to at least hear one.

Pressing My Luck – Bears

Every year it is always the same. I take great pleasure in feeding the birds and would do it all year long except there is the Bear (Ursus americanus) issue. They come out of their winter slumber focused on finding a quick meal. Though not the repast that would totally fill a several hundred pound bear, a chance encounter with a bird feeder would certainly be a great tidbit.

If and when a bear comes upon a bird feeder it will certainly think it is put out for bears. The bear may sit there and dismantle the feeder in a bear-like manner, totally destroying it in the process. OR the bear may venture into the woods with the prize. The snack to be eaten far from where it was found. Again that feeder will be demolished. Bears aren’t gentle.

The first sighting of a bear is my signal. A stop the bird feeding signal. I want my family to be safe and I want the bears’ families to be safe as well. Better that they don’t come by for handouts.

Yellow-breasted Chat

It’s been several years now since one of my favorite summer birds has come by for the season to brighten me. I would swear they are ventriloquists. Sounding like one was here but really there. Or sounding like one was high in the tree top but no one was there at all. And their sound. Cluck, cackle, click, gobble, chuckle, whistle. Never repeating a sound. Seeming to invent its own bird-words as time passed. I miss the Yellow-breasted Chats (Icteria virens) that always came to visit every summer.

Seems I would hear them whenever I was out. Surely they were greeting me. But clever in their hiding, I would rarely see them. Just a few times I was able to catch a glimpse and snap my shutter capturing one of them in pixels.

It’s early. There are many weeks until summer arrives. I’ll be listening. I’ll be hoping to get that happy whistle once again.

Yellow Trillium

Not quite native to Virginia though I’m quite pleased to have these flowers blooming in my gardens. Yellow Trillium (Trillium luteum) is native to Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky. Some speak of a lemony scent. It must be mighty subtle. I don’t detect it.

The plants emerge from underground rhizomes which will spread slowly if left undisturbed. I’m leaving them undisturbed but they really are slow to spread. But they do seem to be quite happy! The flower consists of three tall slightly twisted lemon yellow petals and three slim green sepals sitting in the middle of a circle of three leaves. That’s really 3-ness!

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

What a special treat just three years ago when I saw my first Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus). They were migrating through but they took their sweet time giving me great opportunities to observe and admire them. They were wonderful models for me too.

Late April until early May is when they’ve arrived. Three years in a row. Making themselves at home at my feeders where they gobble down sunflower seeds. On their own they eat berries, seeds and insects.

The male outfitted in his striking black and white feathers accented with the brilliant crimson bib.

The female reminding me of my favorite hot fudge sundae with not quite enough hot fudge. I hear they’re in the neighborhood right now but I’ve yet to see any. Hoping I will, before they take off on the rest of their journey to their breeding grounds of northern North America or the mountains of the West.

Scarlet Tanager

They winter in South America. And their little wings carry them a humongous number of miles to get to their breeding grounds in eastern North America. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea).

Male Scarlet Tanagers are that perfect color combination of brilliant red and black. Smart birds, they’re my favorite colors to wear too. The females are a subtle yellow and black.

If you are interested in what you might offer to attract Scarlet Tanagers to your yard, the internet will tell you to put out, “suet, mealworms, grape jelly or oranges.” My suggestion is have a birdbath or two or three and lots of blueberry bushes.

These beauties will be arriving very soon. I can’t wait.

Philadelphia Fleabane

Small daisy like flowers. Perfect for a party for fairies that are surely celebrating spring right about now. Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) is blooming in lovely bunches along the roadside coming up my mountain.

This Fleabane is a biennial or short-lived perennial. Perhaps a bit tall for fairies, it’s nine to thirty inches tall. Its composite flowers are made up of yellow disk flowers and outer ray flowers that can be white, pink, as in this photo, or lavender. Philadelphia Fleabane leaves are alternate. And those leaves clasp the stems, which distinguishes this species from all the other Fleabane species. How many Fleabane species are there? One hundred seventy species in North America, and three hundred ninety species world wide. That’s a bunch!